Premiering on ABC television in September of 1985, the series picked up where the previous Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show left off. The first episode, "The Seeds of Doom," introduced the third teen hero to the team: Cyborg. Voiced by Ernie Hudson, of Ghostbusters, Cyborg played an insecure hero, always unsure of working in the ranks of the big league of super heroes. Also, a new Hall of Justice was introduced; a huge plaza lying in the center of Metropolis.
The roster for Galactic Guardians changed little from Legendary Super Powers; Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Hawkman, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Firestorm, and Samurai returned. The only member not to return was El Dorado, the hero with magical powers from Central America. The roster of villains grew, though; in a majority of the episodes, Darkseid and his minions threatened Earth yet again. But, other villains who made appearances in Galactic Guardians were The Penguin, Brainiac, Bizarro, The Joker and The Scarecrow.
A few episodes of note:
"The Fear" - Possibly the best episode of the series, this one showcased almost entirely on Batman and his origin. While the death scene of Thomas and Martha Wayne played a bit hokey, the show was still intended for a young audience. Making cameos in this episode are Alfred and Commissioner Gordon.
"Escape From Space City" - A classic Superfriends story, with plenty of action. Darkseid endangers a space station, and the Super Powers Team groups off to deal with the menace.
"Wild Cards" - The story of the Royal Flush Gang, led by the Joker and Darkseid. While poorly written and executed, it was good to see the Joker in one of his rare Superfriends appearances. This episode also held the famous line by one of the Gang members: 'Look out! Here comes Cyborg!' (Five against one, but they cant possibly win).
"The Death of Superman" - The last new Superfriends episode ever aired, this one was very reminiscent of the old 50s Superman 'Imaginary Stories.' Firestorm and Superman are on an expedition, where suddenly Superman is caught in an avalanche of kryptonite and 'dies.' Darkseid plans his invasion, but Superman returns in the nick of time, revived by an ancient kryptionian trance.
Perhaps the Superfriends franchise was exhausted after ten years of Saturday morning programming. Or maybe ABC decided they needed more 'hip' programming. About the same time as the run of Galactic Guardians, Kidd Video was airing on NBC. In any case, Superfriends faded away, rather than go out with a bang. Fortunately, reruns of almost the entire series can be seen on the Cartoon Network: 6:00 PM week nights, and 1:00 AM and 1:00 PM on Sundays, EST. Now, a whole new generation can benefit from the eternal lesson: "Justice will always triumph over Evil."